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(No Model.) 2 sheetssheet 1. F.. B. GRAVES.

PERPETUAL BRICK KILN.

Patented 001:. 16, 1888.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '2.

F. B. GRAVES.

PBRPBTUAL BRICK KILN.

10.391,042. Patented 0015.161888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED B. GRAVES, OF ROCHESTER, NEWT YORK.

PERPETUAL BRICK-KILN.

SPECIFICATIONKformng part of Letters Patent No. 391,042, lated @ctober 16, 1888.

Application filed May 4, 1888. Serial No. 272,860.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED B. GRAvEs, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Perpetual Brick- Kilns; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specitication, and to the figures and letters of ref erence marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in vertical perpetual brick-kilns-that is, those in which the bricks are inserted in one end green and removed at the other fully burned; and it has for its object to improve the construction and operation of the means for operating the bars adapted to support the column of bricks in the kiln while the lowest charge is being removed; and to this end it consists in certain novelties of construction and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view showing the lower end of a vertical brick-kiln of the kind described, showing the application of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the bars and carriage; Fig. 3, a sectional view on the line x cv of Fig. 2, and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of modifications.

Similar letters of reference in the several iigures denote similar parts.

As my present invention only has reference to the bars described, I only deem it necessary to show the lower end of the kiln, (represented bythe letter A,) with the supports B B at the sides just below the lower end, a sufficient space being left between the said end and the supports for the passage of the supporting-bars C, as usual.

The ram-piston D, adapted to raise and lower the car E, as well as the car, is of the usual construction, the latter being provided with the bars for supporting the brick when the bars C are removed, and having` spaces between them sufticiently wide for the passage of said bars.

In this class of kilns the bricks are placed in charges in along column reaching above and below a furnace, which burns them as (No model.)

they pass down,while those below the furnace are removed by means of the ram and bars. The bars are run in from one side, projecting through apertures formed in the column during the setting of the brick, the outer end resting` upon the support opposite theside from which they areinserted. Then the ram, with the charge consisting of the brick below the apertures and upon the car, is allowed to settle, the bars supporting the column. When the full car has been replaced by an empty one and the ram raised, the bars CX on the car pass between the supporting-bars, and by the continued pressure on the ram-piston lift the column from the bars C and permit their withdrawal. Then the ram is permitted to settle until the next series of apertures in the column are in linewith the bars @and is there held by any suitable means. Immediately after the withdrawal of the bars C a suitable hood, sliding on the lower extension of the kiln, is lowered upon the car, where its lower side co-operates with suitable packing and prevents access of air to the interior of the kiln during the burning operation.

As the bars C which are passed through the kiln are necessarily heavy and the apertures through the column are liable to vary slightly in position, it is eminently desirable that some means for manipulating them as easily as possible and to permit their ready adaptability to slight inaccuracies in the setting be devised, and these objects I accomplish bythe following means: I provide rails F F, composed, preferably, of twoT-iron girders extending from the support B at right angles and resting at the outer end upon asuitable support,and upon the lower inner flanges of these girders, acting as rails, run wheels G, four in number, and located on opposite ends of axles H H', consti tuting supports for the rails C, as will be ex plained. These axles have bearings in two long bars, I I, preferably constructed of T- iron,slightly longer than the remainder of the supporting-bars, preferably connected at their rear ends and with the inner ends extending flush with the other bars O. Located intermediate these bars are the remainder of the supporting-bars C, each having a rearward extension, C', secured to it, said extension being bifurcated and embracing and being bolted to the web, as shown. Just forward of the point of connection these bar-extensions are provided with a perforation,through which passes the axle H, and the several bars are kept separated by sleeves h upon the axle, as shown.

The extensions Oare upwardly inclined and are arranged under yokes C2, having the two depending arms, through which the axle H passes, the arrangement being such that the yokes will hold the inner ends of the bars slightly elevated, just about level Awith the lsupports B. Set-screws c` may be passed through the yokes bearing on the Auppersides of said extensions to provide for the individual adjustment of the outer ends, if de-V sired. The yokes are preferably kept separated by springs C4, surrounding the axle between them, which Will permit of a slight lateral motion of the inner ends of the bars should theyfrom any cause-say the improper formation of the apertures in the brick col umn-need it. Of course,V if desired to dispense with the inclined supplemental exten-v n.sions C and at the saine time provide for the lateral movements of the bars, the latter themselves might be extended back so that the axles could pass directly through them, and the springs and spacingsleeves interposed between their webs, as clearly shown in Fig. 4C.

Itwill be seen that the bars C are praeticall y mounted on a carriage composed ofthe bars I and axles, and that their inner forward ends can be individually adjusted vertically and at the same time be permitted a limited lateral springing motion when necessary. In order to project and retract these bars, I extend the bars I backward a suitable distance and provide them on their under sides with racks I', adapted to mesh with a gear, J, on a shaft, J', -supported in bearings below the bars F F. On the end of this shaft is a large gear, K, mesh- N, ipgyvithsgear K on shaft L, which latter is provided with a chain or belt wheel, L', from which a chain extends to within convenient reach of the operator; or, if desired, the wheel L may be dispensed with and a suitable handwheel substituted.

The arrangement of shafts and gears shown is merely one form of operating device, and others can readily be devised without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

It is sometimes desirable that the forward ends of the bars C and I be raised bodily from their supports B, on which they run, in order to reduce friction as much as possible, and to provide for the more ready insertion and re moval of said bars, and this I accomplish in the present instance by forming the ends of the forward axle, H, eccentric to the main een! tral portion, as shown in Fig. 3, and connecta lever, M, with said axle in any suitable manner. The normal position of the axle when in either position of rest, whether inserted-or retracted, is with its two portions in the same plane, the lever M then resting upon the rear laxle or a suitable stop provided for the purpose projecting from one of the bars I, though the latter is not essential.

When it is desired to project the bars beneath the kiln-shaft, thelever M is moved forward or backward, lifting the bars supported on the shaft H above the support B, so that all the weight will be borne by the wheels, and then operating the hand or chain wheel, causing the gears to operate on the rack and move the whole carriage forward so that the ends of the bars will project through the apertures and pass over the supports on the opposite side, when the lever M is `moved back, allowing the bars C and I to rest on the supports on both sides, after which the weight of the .column is transferred to them and the lowest charge removed, as before described. After this section or charge has been removed, the ram is raised again and the load transferred to it in the ordinary manner, the supports C and I raised by the lever M and moved back, the reverse of the former operation taking place, as will be readily understood.

A further modification is shown in Fig. 5, in which the rear extensions of the bars I are connected by a rod, X, while the extensions pass 'back of the yokes, and the spacing-A springs are inserted between them on this rod. In this instance, also, the ends ofthe outer axle on which the wheels are mounted are set eccentrically to the mainportion, so that by a lever, M, both the inner and outer ends of the supporting-bars can be adj usted, thus lifting them all simultaneously and keeping them horizontal. In the other arrangement as the distance the'bars are lifted is so small the one curved axle will be sufficient for all practical purposes.

If desired, the rail lifting and adjusting devices could be dispensed with in, say, small kilns, the friction of the bars on the supports not being suflicient to form a serious obstacle to the proper operation of the device.

It will be noted that I provide means for adjusting the supporting bars individually, and also all of them simultaneously, and it is evident that devices could be substituted for those shown for the accomplishment of the 1astnamed feature-as, for instance, a cambarindependent of the axle; but such modifications as this will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

Other modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not therefore desire to be limited to pre* cisely the constructions shown.

I claim as my invention` 1. In a brick-kiln of the kind described, the

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combination, with the supporting-bars adapted saro-12 3 to be projected beneath the kiln, of the inner support for the bars on which they are mounted,

and the springs interposed between the outer ends ofthe bars, substantially as described.

3. In abrick-kiln of the kind described, the combination, with the supporting-bars adapted to be projected beneath the kiln, of the trackrails, the axles and the wheels thereon, the spacing-sleeves on one axle between the bars, and the springs on the other axle between them, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the carriage composed of the outer bars connected at their rear ends, the axles, and the wheels and the intermediate bars having springs between them, whereby they are permitted a slight lateral movement, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a support, of the series of bars mounted thereon, having supporting portions extending beyond their sup-` port, and means, such as screws, for adjusting their supporting ends vertically independently, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the movable supports, ofthe bars mounted on the iunersupport so as to turn thereon, the extension ofthe bar, and the yokes connected to the rear support, beneath which the extensions pass, substantially as described. l

7. The combination, with the movable supports, ofthe bars mounted on theinnersupport so as to turn thereon, the inner extensions of the bars, the yokes connected to the rear support, beneath which the extensions pass, and the set-screws forming the connection between them, substantially as described.

8. The combination,with the track-rails,the

rear axle. and wheels, of the forward axle hav` ing the wheels mounted thereon eccentrically and the supporting-bars carried upon said forward axle, substantially as described.

9. The combination,with the track-rails, the supporting-axles, and wheels, of means, substantially as described, for simultaneously raising the inner operating ends of the bars and stationary supports for the bars when in lowest position, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with the track, the supporting-axles, and wheels, the wheels on the forward axle being mounted eccentrically, of the supporting-bars supported on said axle, and the lever for rotating said axle, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with the track, the supporting-axles, and wheels, of the supporting-bars, one or more of them having an extension provided 'with racks, the gears co-operating the racks, and means for rotating said gears, substantially as described.

l2. In a brick-kiln, substantially as described, the combination, with the stationary supports for the supporting-bars, ofthe series ot' supporting-bars individually and collectively adjustable vertically, substantially as described.

FRED B. GRAVES.

' VVit-nesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, Guo. B. SELDEN. 

